Clippers' bench provides spark in victory

Dec. 9, 2012

Updated Aug. 21, 2013 1:17 p.m.

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The Toronto Raptors' Amir Johnson is defended by the Clippers' Ronny Turiaf (21), of France, and Eric Bledsoe (12) in the second half on Sunday at Staples Center. The Clippers won 102-83. Jae C. Hong, AP

The Toronto Raptors' Amir Johnson is defended by the Clippers' Ronny Turiaf (21), of France, and Eric Bledsoe (12) in the second half on Sunday at Staples Center. The Clippers won 102-83. Jae C. Hong, AP

LOS ANGELES – Near the end of the Clippers' 102-83 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday afternoon at Staples Center, Chris Paul put his arm around Eric Bledsoe.

Bledsoe and his comrades from the Clippers' stellar bench had blown open a game in the fourth quarter for the second day in a row, and Paul told Bledsoe to go do something.

"Shoot the three (3-pointer)," Paul said.

With less than a half minute remaining, Bledsoe called for the clear out at the top of the key and calmly stroked a 25-footer, capping a memorable day for the third-year guard.

Bledsoe turned 23 on Sunday, and against the Raptors, he scored 14 points with six assists, two steals and four rebounds.

And even though Bledsoe has played on his birthday plenty of times during his life, "this was probably the best one," he said.

Just like it did against the Phoenix Suns on Saturday and like it has during the team's current six-game winning streak, the Clippers' bench proved why they're a difference-maker.

The Clippers trailed by three after Toronto put together an 11-0 run to close the first half and led by just four points when Vinny Del Negro inserted his bench to start the fourth quarter.

Bledsoe, Jamal Crawford, Matt Barnes, Ronny Turiaf and Lamar Odom held the Raptors to just three field goals in the final quarter, as Toronto barely managed to score 10 points thanks to a Linas Kleiza three in the final seconds.

"We're coming in hungry," Turiaf said. "We have a supreme confidence as a group. We believe we're game-changers."

Sunday in the fourth quarter, the Clippers changed the game by ratcheting up their defensive intensity, challenging every jump shot and swarming towards every available rebound.

"I'll tell you something right now," Turiaf said. "Defense is the base of everything for us. You might focus on the offense because you see it, but if we don't get stops, we could score as much as we want and it's a tie game.

'We have to get stops. We pride ourselves in it and creating our offense from a defensive mindset."

While the Clippers bench has owned four-of-the-last-five fourth quarters, scoring each Clippers' point, starters like Paul and Blake Griffin are logging career lows in minutes played, and neither is irked by that.

"There's nothing like seeing Ronny Turiaf's energy out there. When you've got people as well-spirited on our team, how can you not cheer for L.O.?" Paul said. "How can you not cheer when Eric Bledsoe does something well or Jamal Crawford? It's just really a team for us."

And it's really starting to look like a breakout year for Bledsoe.

Prior to Sunday's game, Chauncey Billups, who has played with and against the best basketball players in the world, said Bledsoe's starting to think the game with a much more mature mindset.

"His biggest improvement has been mentally. Athleticism, he had that last year. He didn't get a chance to play as much, but he had that. He was blessed, and that's a gift from God that he has," Billups said. "But mentally, reading pick-and-roll situations, knowing when to turn it on and when to slow it down, knowing how to play with a scorer Jamal, those little things are where he's come the farthest."

Sunday, Bledsoe played just less than 20 minutes and didn't turn the ball over once.

"He just makes things happen," Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro said. "He gets his hands on a lot of balls. He gets out on the break. On the pick-and-roll, he's tough because he can turn the corner on most people.

"....It's little things – his temperament, his demeanor out there. He's much more under control it seems like."

Billups said it's been fun watching Bledsoe improve on a daily basis.

"He's someone who works really hard. I'm happy to see it's paying off for him," Billups said. "I think he's going to be a star."

NOTES

Jamal Crawford ran his streak of consecutive made free throws to 58 before missing a pair in the second quarter Sunday. Crawford did, however, convert on a four-point play in the fourth quarter. Crawford has a NBA record 35 four-point plays in his career, and he's had three already this season. ...Chauncey Billups (tendonitis in his left foot) and Grant Hill (bone bruise in his right knee) were inactive Sunday. ...Matt Barnes was ejected late in the fourth quarter after a skirmish with Toronto's John Lucas. Barnes' ejection forced Del Negro to re-insert Caron Butler, keeping the Clippers from being able to play solely reserves in three-straight fourth quarters.

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